Mar 93 Kitplanes KR1 Builders Article 300dpi

ius?
-
Sportplane for the Masses?
lnexpensive huilding and fast, fun flying
make the Rand-Robinson KR-l a builder fauorite.
BY D(lN D()WNIE
nother first for KITPLANES
is this two-part
builder
survey. When we queried
Rand-Robinson KR builders,
we found a truly dedicated group of
builders who really like to talk about
their aircraft. Usually, we
get
something less than a 507o return on
our mailed-out builder questionnaires. This time, we sent out 14
queries to KR builders and received
l3 answers plus follow-up phone
calls offering more information.
Almost all the builders made interesting modifications to the basic plans
and we received far more material than
in any previous survey. Rather than
omit or shorten these replies, we elected to publish a two-part report.
The KR design has been around
since 1972. More than 15,000 sets of
plans and kits
have been sold
and some 1500
are now flying,
according to
Jeanette Rand,
who has head-
ed the Rand-
Sam Bailey uses
his KR-l to fly a
light aerobatic
routine at
re$onal
airshows in
cental Kansas.
He is now
working on his
second KR.
72
KJTPLANES
Robinson organization for the past 14
years. She took over the KR operation
when her husband, Ken, was killed in
a KR accident in 1979. She studied
business administration in college and
has raised three daughters while learning the kitplane business. She had a
pair of veteran KR builders show her
how to build a complete fuselage. This
leaming tool hung in the stockroom
for years.
The prototype KR was completed
and shown at Oshkosh two years
before Rutan's VariEze was built. The
KR was awarded the EAA's outstanding achievement award and was recognition for the best application of new
materials for its use of foam along with
a basic wooden structure.
We chose to report on the KR-l
builders plus one builder of a KR-l l/2
(stretched) design in this initial compilation. As performance and gross
weight have increased, the original
retractable landing gear has been
stressed beyond expectations, and
mechanical brakes have become
marginal. Most KR builders are opting
for the factory option of the fixed land-
ing gear with Cleveland brakes and
wheels-in some cases lifted directly
from a Cessna 150. The fixed gear is
reported to be as much as 3 mph faster
than the retractable and was developed
by the first builder to be interviewed.
Richard Shirley
Seal Beach, California
Fixed Gear Developer
Richard Shirley is a wind-tunnel
model builder for Northrop's Advanced
Systems. His
KR-l took 1200
hours
and cost only $1500 to build back in
the mid 1980s. He started out with a
$500 investment in a damaged KR-l
that contained complete metal fittings
and other usable components. The 49year-old builder pioneered the fixedgear version. Shirley admitted that his
gear design was influenced by the RV4 and constructed it out of 1025 T-6
aluminum. He also made his own wing
design, a wing that was 2 feet longer
than the plans and tapered from 4 feet
at the root to2feet at the tips for speed.
In other modifications, Shirley
widened the fuselage 6 inches, dropped
the bottom of the fuselage 3 inches to
cover hydraulics, modified the cowling,
and added gear fairings. Using a homemade 2180-cc VW with a Great American 52149 prop, he has a top speed of
215 mph and a climb of 1400 fpm.
Takeoff ro11 is 1000 feet and landing
roll is 600 feet.
Jim Evans
Lewiston, California
Flying Higher and Faster
Only one of the builders we contacted was flying with a turbocharged
powerplant, and the performance of
ship, but I am very competitive in the
area of performance," he said. "My
KR-l is flying and available to race
any homebuilt with up to 150 hp."
his plane is spectacular. "To my knowledge, no other KR has climbed higher
added 1.5 feet to each wing and
or flown farther than mine," said
Evans, a retired 69-year-old former
Air Force fighter pilot who flew 60
missions in Europe during WW-II in P-
41s and P-51s. He chose the KR-l
because the construction techniques
and materials were similar to building
a model ailplane and required no special tools. He is using a Turbo Revmaster 2100D that he purchased new and
reports that the RayJay turbocharger
has not given him a minute's problem.
With a constant-speed Maloff prop,
Evans indicates 170 mph at 12,000
feet (over 200-mph true) on 4 gph. "At
Shirley wrote that his next project
will be a modified Mustang IL How-
manifold pressure and more than 3000
ever, the Mustang project may have to
rpm. That's not bad at all for an air-
wait a bit. As this report was being
prepared, Shirley's modified VW
engine failed at 7000 feet over the
frame-less engine
north end of Lake Klamath in southem
Oregon. Fortunately, Kevin Kelly was
alongside Shirley in his KR-100 at the
pressure on takeoff, but I use only 3035 inches so as not to overboost. I've
time. Kelly dropped down quickly,
gen aboard and could have gone higher. I weigh 200 pounds and my plane is
made sure that the gravel road Shirley
had selected was adequate and reported back by radio.
"It was one of the best landings I've
ever made," said Shirley. He rolled out
into a farmer's front yard, was invited
to dinner and then was driven to the
Amtrak station after storing the KR-l
in the farmer's shed. His VW had a
9.5:1 compression ratio and was flown
on 100 octane fuel. It had about 300
hours total time when the crankshaft
12,000 feet, I can still pull 35 inches
and
of
prop-that cost
only $5000.
"I
can get 45 inches of manifold
climbed to 22,000 feet
overweight too.
MSL
with oxy-
I call my KR-1 the
Bondo Bomber because I have dinged
it so many times and used several
pounds of Bondo to make repairs. I
don't want to compete with other
builders in the quality of workman-
With no qualms about basic airframe modifications, Evans said, "I
improved climb, glide ratio and speed.
I installed l7-gallon fuel tanks in each
wing, which, with the 5-gallon header
tank, give me almost 40 gallons of
fuel. The longest nonstop flight I have
made was from Weaverville, California, to Chamberlin, South Dakota, in 8
hours and 40 minutes." While he
admits that his aircraft is a bit crowded
in the cockpit, Evans says he can carry
a tent, sleeping bag, baggage for a trip
and a camera bag in his KR- 1. A mini
tool kit is taped to an engine mount
on these trips.
Evans is almost a first-time builder.
Before starting his KR- l, he helped
build a Pitts S-l in his bam and later
raced it at Reno. During the latter part
of the KR project, he developed an
allergic reaction to epoxy and suffered
through it with the help of medicated
cream. One of the building aids he
depended on was to glue strips of sandpaper to a 6-foot length of aluminum
extrusion and use this straighredge to
sand away the high spots.
With over 7000 flight hours and a
certified flight instructor rating, Evans
had some sage comments about the
plane: "The KR- 1 is not a plane for the
neophyte or low-time pilot. Get some
dual in a KR-2 with an experienced
pilot, fly often enough to maintain pro-
failed. When he trailered the KR-l
back to southern California, Shirley
was looking for either a Continental
C-90 or 200.
Jim Evans'KR-l is the only one with
turbochar$ng found in our survey. He
said that he had flown his plane at 22,000
feet and could have gone higher.
MARCH 1993
Kenneth Cottle
decided that the
KR-l wasn't
exactly what he
needed so he
stretched the
fuselage and
made other
modifrcations. He
has designated his
aircraft a KR -lt/2.
KB BUILDTBS
continued
ficiency, and install hydraulic brakes."
For his next project, Evans wants to
build an ultralight that he can fly out of
his 900-foot meadow and store easily,
perhaps a Kolb because of its foldingwing capability.
Tom Bagnetto
Wichita Falls, Texas
Porsche-Powered Speedster
"The first flight in my KR-l has to
be the greatest thrill of them all,"
reported Tom Bagnetto. "Ken Rand,
you did one hell of a jobl"
netto chose the KR because of its attractive design, ease ofconstruction, speed
and cost. Prior to the KR-1, he helped
on a Starduster project. Building the
Bagnetto, another ex-military pilot, is
47 and a stock broker. He has logged
than $10,000, which included very basic
avionics. He uses a Bendixffing KX
99 radio transceiver strapped to his leg
to communicate with air traffic control.
"It would be nice to have all the
more than 4000 hours in everything
from a 325,000-pound C-l4l to his
550-pound (empty weight) KR-I. Bag-
SOUTHEAST AIR
BUILDERS'CO
KR-l took over 2000 hours, including
the landing-gear conversion and
hydraulic brakes. Total cost was less
Features:
. KickoffForum:
"Why should I consider
building an aircraft?"
Chaired by Jim Irwin,
president of Aircraft
Spruce & Speciality
and KITPLANES
Feb. 27,1
Associate Editor Keith
Beveridge. This is a
Register now:
representatives of many
of the kit aircraft manufacturers.
Q&A session with the
. Hands-on workshops
on major aircraft-build-
two pe_offie. Call (615) 355-6161
ing techniques: composites, sheet metal,
welded steel, wood,
fabric covering, and
avionics installation.
. Indoor display of
some of the popular
homebuilt aircraft.
by KITPLANES Magazine, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty and Smyrna Air Center.
KITPLANES
Tom Bagnetto
said that the most
exciting moment
of his flying life
was the first flight
in hishomebuilt
KR-I. The entire
project cost less
than $10,000,
including engine
and basic
avionics.
"The cowl-
out with an empty weight of 550
the most dif-
pounds.
Bagnetto noted, "The guys and gals
ficult task,"
he explained.
"None of the
prefab cowl-
had time to answer questions, and if
she didn't have the part or supplies I
needed. she would put me in contact
with several sources who did."
Bagnetto had not planned a larger
engine when he started his project, but
he added plywood sheeting in the fuselage forward of the main spar for added
Williams Akrylid-that's acrylic enamel. It's less toxic than Imron, has more
pigment, costs a lot less and can be
I
fit
had no
attachment and alignment. ..Whew! "
While making an engine test run
before the aircraft was completed, the
original retractable landing gear collapsed and the builder promptly purchased a fixed-gear kit and a new prop.
A round-bottomed keyway to
the
forged crankshaft had been installed
during engine assembly and saved the
crankshaft from prop-strike damage
when the gear failed. With the fixed
gear, his prop clearance in level attitude
Porsche
is 9 inches compared with 6.5 inches
with the original gear.
Bagnetto made his turtledeck with
quarter-inch Clark foam glassed on
One hub. The larger engine required a
new cowling because none of the pre-
one side, scored on the other, bent and
glued to the foam formers above the
longerons. When the glue cured, the
turtledeck was severed from the fuselage and glassed inside, resulting in a
strong, lightweight structure with a lot
less dust generated than would have
been caused by carving it out of foam
planks as suggested in the plans. The
strength. When he saw a 2600-cc
9l4Type Four engine advertised in a local newspaper for $200,
he made the purchase and sent the
powerplant to Steve Bennett of Great
Plains Aircraft Supply Co. for conversion. The engine was fitted with a
Diehl Supercase, 20-amp alternator,
engine-driven fuel pump and Force
molded cowls would fit. As a result
of these space limitations, his exhaust
stacks stick straight out the cowling.
I
[o see the paint.
so
points for
Bagnetto reported excellent support
from the factory. "Jeanefte Rand always
who really know about building airplanes might be impressed with your
workmanship, but everybody is going
ings would
choice. Shaping, glassing,
installing hard
latest gadgets but, let's face it, Ken
Rand designed a small sport plane,"
Bagnetto wrote. "All the high+ech stuff
takes up space, weight and money."
tanks in the wing roots and still came
ing was by far
canopy was constructed in the same
manner.
This builder added auxiliary fuel
used Sherwin-
repaired easily when you pick up a
ding. The formula is to mix eight parts
paint, six parts reducer and one part
hardener; it goes on easily and is dust
free in 30 minutes."
Bagnetto uses a 56x60 Sterba
inches longer than the one
prop-4
that was destroyed. He said "The prop
is a work of art. Even the box it was
shipped in was pretty!"
Bagnetto reports a top speed of 215
mph and a rate of climb at 75 mph of
2750fpm. Fuel consumption is 5.1gph.
The former military pilot noted that,
"With the bigger engine, my KR-l takes
every bit of available rudder during
takeoff-lots of torque-and it is not
recommended for the novice. Aileron
rolls and wingovers are the only aerobatics I have attempted so far. I haven't
done any over-the-top maneuvers yet,
mainly because the speed builds up like
crazy when you put the nose down."
Bagnetto says that he will probably
build a Glasair or Lancair next, but
not right away. In the meantime, he
says that calls, questions and comments
about his KR project are always welcome. For more information about
Bagnetto's project, contact him at 4817
MARCH
1993
75
KB BUILDEfrS
cycle gear and a 3-inch prop extension. It will not have the blunt cowling
continued
found on most Vw-powered planes.
Reginald Dr. Wichita Falls, TX 76308;
call8l7169l-1902.
Sam Bailey
Pratt, Kansas
Aerobatics and Airshows.
Now working on his second KR-1,
Sam Bailey has built an enviable reputation with a light aerobatic routine at
regional airshows in central Kansas.
His routine includes four-point rolls,
knife-edge flight and an inverted fly-by
with 4-g loads. "That's about as much
as my body can stand," said 63-yearold Bailey, who added, "My canopy
can be released with one hand for a
quick departure.
In 1986, Bailey's first KR-l was
chosen for the Wright Brothers Invitational Award at Dayton for the bestbuilt KR-l in the nation. He is shooting
for the same award on his second KR-I.
Bailey said that he has changed the
angle of incidence on his second KR
from 5o to 2.5" by raising the trailing
edge of the wing 1.5 inches. The seat on
the original was adapted from a Grumman Yankee that he owned for 18 years
while the new one has an upholstered
cushion on the floor, permitting a lower
canopy. He reported that it was much
easier to build the follow-on KR and
that he is improving the streamlined
fairings in the process. When the new
KR-1 is flying and shaken down, Bailey is considering donating his first
plane, now with 450 hours total time, to
"I have built or remodeled everything from houses and cabins to boats,
fumiture and clocks, so I figured that
building an airplane would be a great
challenge but not much of a problem,"
said Bailey.
the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. After flying airshows for five
years, Bailey says that he will restrict
his flights in the new KR-l to his own
He has logged more than 4000
Kenneth Cottle
Columbia, Missouri
The First KR-lrrz
If a KR-1 is too small for your needs
and a KR-2 is too big, what do you
do? Why not build your own inbetween version KR-1llz? Kenneth
hours of flight time in the past 24 years.
Bailey owns an auto parts and equipment sales business and chose the KR1 because ofits size, speed and respon-
siveness. "Basically, I would rather
work with wood than metal. The most
difficult job for me was the cowling
that I made by hand. The airframe took
1200 hours and $3000 to complete.
"Our single-car garage is heated and
is just outside our kitchen window,
which made it easy to work even 10
minutes at a time," he explained. "I
would work on my plane instead of
watching TV so I didn't feel that I was
neglecting the family or friends.
His first KR-1 has the original
retractable landing gear and is powered by a 1835-cc VW engine that Bai-
Iey and his brother built up. Length is
12.5 feet, span is 16.7 feet and empty
weight is 449 pounds. The follow-on
KR-1 will have a 2332-cc VW with a
stroked crankshaft and a starter-alternator. The first KR has a top speed of
175 mph while Bailey expects to cruise
at more than 200 mph with his next
airplane. The newer airplane has tri-
7E
KITPLANES
pleasure.
Cottle started out with the original KRI plans and made the aircraft larger.
Cottle's jumbo-size KR-l was used in
Dan Diehl's instructional video to
demonstrate wing-skin installation and
Diehl commented, "It's larger than
a
KR-1, but it isn't a KR-2, so it must be
a KR-1ttz." The KR-lllz designation
is on Coltle's FAA and insurance company paperwork.
Cottle, 57, chose to build a KR
because it looked sporty, had good performance and could be built with minimal tools. "I knew I would be com-
fortable working with the materials
inches aft. He used premolded wing
skins from Dan Diehl, shortened the
wing center section to 4 feet and finished up with a span of 20.7 feet. He
widened the cockpit area to 24 inches
and maintained that width straight forward to the firewall. The canopy was
modified from a Starlite, and a speed
brake was added below the fuselage.
Building time was 27 months, and total
investment was around $13,000.
Cottle is secretary/treasurer of
a
firm and a commercial pilot with more than 1000
hours of flight time. Cottle's other
general contracting
hobby is drag racing. Prior to building
the KR-1rt2, Cottle had modified a VP-
1 and flown
it for
210 hours. Con-
ceming builder support, Cottle said,
"The good people like Dan Diehl,
Steve Bennett (Great Plains Aircraft),
Jeanette Rand and others always had
time for me-time they didn't have to
give, but did."
The original engine for his KR was
an 1835-cc VW. After 120 hours of
flight, this was upgraded to a 2180-cc
unit from Great Plains that Cottle built
using an Ellison throttle body injector
with fuel pumps. The propeller is
a
52x52 Sterba. Performance on the KR-
lrl2 is slightly below specifications
because of the many modifications.
Were he to do the project again, the
Missouri builder would prepare a good
it clean, make a
schedule and work at it regularly. He
would construct the new stretched version of the KR-2, buy all the premolded parts and stick strictly to the plans.
"This way it could be completed faster
and assure performance and safety,"
he said. "A good completed project is
place to work, keep
very rewarding."
Next Month
As you can ascertain, no two KR-ls
are the same. What about the two-place
model KR-2? Look in next month's
issue of KITPLANES and find out
what these builders have to
say. tr
required, and it used a VW engine,
which was what I wanted," he said.
Cottle's extensive list of major
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact
modifications includes using a fixed
landing gear from a two-place Son-
Rand-Robinson Engineering, Inc.,
15641 Product Lane, Ste. A5,
Huntington Beach, CA 92649; call
erai. He also lengthened the fuselage 5
inches ahead of the main spar and 17.5
714t898-3811.